It says something. I'm not sure if it is entirely good (about the state of the sport) , that Michele can still command so much attention.

Definitely a mixed blessing. Same goes for the fact that so many of the corporate sponsors are going with the Evans and Kristi's, over the up and comers. No disrespect to them but the reliance on the known and the decrease in "risk taking" on hopefuls, while completely understandable from a corporate risk standpoint, is still not a positive as you say, for the sport.

After re-watching her '98 programs this past weekend, it's not hard to see why. She remains the gold standard.

I think it's a good thing that people remember great skaters long past their tenure. It's not something that happens INSTEAD OF admiring current skaters. After all, when Michelle was skating, people still revered Dorothy Hamill and Kristi Yamaguchi. No, the fact that today's skaters aren't widely known outside of skating fandom in the U.S. is an entirely separate phenomenon. I don't know what we can do to ameliorate the situation, but we skating fans stand ready to help!

I think one reason why Michelle is still in the public eye is because -- well, she's still in the public eye. Phil Hersh wrote that as much as he admired Michelle's skating, what she has accomplished after retiring from competition has made his respect for her shoot up a hundred-fold.

Her she is as keynote speaker at the espnW summit conference yesterday, talking about the special Olympics and "making an impact." (Thanks to poster teach23 at the MK Forum for the link.)